"Ms. Quinn," he calls back. "Remember what I said about safety."
The door closes behind him. Conversations resume, but tension lingers.
Sorcha stands where he left her, hands clenched into fists. When she looks at me, I see controlled fury instead of fear.
"Friend of yours?" she asks.
"Business acquaintance."
She nods toward the kitchen. "I need to finish my shift."
I watch her work for the next three hours. Every time the door opens, she glances up. Every time a new customer enters, she tracks their movement. Smart survival instincts.
When closing time arrives, I wait while she counts the register and wipes tables. The other staff leave one by one until we're alone.
"You can't go home tonight," I tell her.
She looks up from stacking chairs. "Excuse me?"
"Moran knows where you live. Where you work. Where you shop." I lean against the bar. "He made his play public to send a message."
"What message?"
"That you're vulnerable. That the Kavanaghs can't protect their own territory."
Sorcha slams a chair down harder than necessary. "I'm not Kavanagh property."
"No. But you work in Kavanagh territory. That makes you mine to protect."
The words hang between us, loaded with more meaning than I intended. Her eyes widen at the possessive edge in my voice.
"I didn't ask for protection."
"You didn't ask for threats either."
She moves around the bar, organizing bottles with sharp movements. Anger management through busy work. I track every step, every gesture. The way her jeans hug her hips. How her shirt rides up when she reaches for the top shelf.
"Where am I supposed to go?" she asks.
"Safe house. Family property outside the city."
"For how long?"
"Until we settle things with Moran."
She stops moving. "Settle things how?"
I don't answer. Some things civilians don't need to know.
"I won't hide," she says. "I have a job. A life."
"You won't have either if Moran decides you're more useful as an example."
Her jaw tightens. "There has to be another way."
I consider options. Moving her means acknowledging weakness. Leaving her exposed invites attack.
"I stay at your place," I say. "Direct protection."
